Detroit Public Schools kicked off its Application Schools Period Monday, March 2 for its 21 Application Schools. Families seeking to apply for spots in these schools should apply at the school building site for the 2015–16 school year. This is the first of two periods during March–April for families to select schools. An Open Enrollment Period for all schools will follow, from April 13–24 and [Read more…]

The freezing winter air and a chest cold did not stop Principal Melissa Villarreal from standing at her post, holding open the front door of Roberto Clemente Academy on a recent morning, greeting every student and parent who walked passed her.
She fluidly switched from English to Spanish, answering parents’ questions about the lunch menu that day, an attendance campaign the district [Read more…]

LANSING, Mich. – Detroit Public Schools remains under a financial emergency as community leaders start discussions about a long-term reinvention to build a stable, financially secure system that creates a brighter future for all city students, Gov. Rick Snyder said. With the district struggling with a nearly $170 million deficit, Snyder said it is necessary to continue with an emergency [Read more…]

There's never been a better time for businesses, alumni, community members and everyone concerned with public education to partner with Detroit Public Schools. With a rigorous new five-year academic plan in place and new instructional strategies and a stronger curriculum in every classroom, major worldwide corporations and alumni of local schools are stepping forward to volunteer, contribute and pledge human resources, talent, technology and monetary gifts.

DPS attendance increases sharply

As of Monday, September 12, Detroit Public Schools successfully took attendance for 55,838 students, an increase of more than 12,000 students over the past five school days, and a sharp increase from opening day when 43,000 students were counted, which was itself a near doubling of first day attendance a year ago.

The district credits efforts with this increase to enrollment awareness, door-to-door parent organizer and attendance agent outreach, and multiple levels of communications to parents. The current attendance reflects 85% of the targeted budget total of 65,834 students for this fall term based on demographer’s projections. This rate is also significantly higher than one year ago, when the attendance rate on the fifth day of school was 69%.

“Continued outreach directly to parents, combined with a successful opening week during which there was considerably less transferring across schools, has led to this progress,” said Emergency Manager Roy S. Roberts. “Now our message to parents whose children have still not gotten back to school: Get your child in school. No excuses. Better safety, Netbooks, more reading and math, parent portal and newer buildings…those resources cannot be provided if a child is not in school.”